Strategies for success

Many teachers are scared to branch out and try new methods of teaching, yet when they do it, it creates something positive for them and their students. Switching things up and trying new methods can put a fun twist on learning; however, many teachers get stuck on one method throughout their whole career. Almost every student has encountered numerous teaching methods throughout their schooling. For instance, there is the “Powerpoint and multiple worksheets over it” method, the “look in your book and figure it out yourself” method, the “artistic” method where you draw everything out, and the “visual” method where you have to act problems out as a class, to name a few. There are so many different ways we, as students, are taught. Some are just better than others. In general, students learn in their own way and I’d like to narrow down some of the things I feel are most beneficial for teachers to do in their classroom to help better prepare their students.

1. The Syllabus Strategy – At the beginning of each month, chapter, or even for some teachers, trimesters, we get a very organized sheet. This sheet is called a syllabus and is typically in the format of a list or calendar. This syllabus plans out everything we will learn/be assigned day by day for the upcoming weeks. If you are absent and don’t know what the homework may have been, all you have to do is check your syllabus! If you forget when your next Rosie test is due, all you have to do is give that detailed sheet a glance to avoid asking your teacher a question you know she has already answered fifteen times that period. Organization is a huge key to success, and when teachers give out these syllabi, they are really helping their students out more than they may ever imagine.
2. The Visual Strategy – Instead of sitting in class listening to a lecture the entire period, it really helps students to either reenact or physically see a theory in action. In science classes, it can be especially very difficult to understand the logic of what is going on. Watching a black and white powerpoint with the lights off in first period doesn’t really make the information sink into students’ heads, especially when they are all typically half asleep. Leaving the lights on, doing group activities, and getting up and moving around really helps students take more knowledge away from that class than they would from just sitting and staring into space.
3. The Group Strategy – Although talking can get excessive so teachers seem to avoid assigning group work/projects, having peers to discuss information with can really aid learning more than just listening to a teacher’s voice the whole period. A lot of math and science classes refer to having groups on seating charts where you get to help each other on worksheets and do projects together. Having a group is very reassuring, and helps you feel more relaxed if you notice you aren’t the only one in the class who doesn’t understand how to do a problem. It saves teachers time on answering everyone’s questions. Working with friends also encourages students to get their work done whether it is inside or outside of school.

Never take these methods for granted, and enjoy it when you get to experience them! Learning can be fun if you make it that way. Each and every student has their own preference on the way they are taught, but just bare with your teachers and take in the mass of information from their method of choice. Even better, if you are ever stumped, just simply ask your teacher for some help, or ask your friends to do a group project outside of school with you to help you understand. Take the best from every teaching method, and turn it into lifelong knowledge that will lead you to success.